1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to photography, and in particular to a technique and a camera based thereon in which the camera is loaded with a dual-track film having a picture track whose successive light-sensitive picture frames are partially pre-exposed to contain latent images thereon of figurative characters and a parallel guide track whose successive viewfinder frames are transparencies having printed images therein corresponding to the latent images, whereby when individuals are then seen through the viewfinder of the camera and photographed, the individuals appear in the resultant pictures in juxtaposition to the characters so as to establish an apparent relationship therebetween.
2. Status of Prior Art
A camera consists essentially of a light-proof enclosure housing a light-sensitive film and provided with a lens to admit light and focus it on the film. In a standard commercial camera, an adjustable diaphragm is included as well as a shutter and a viewfinder. The diaphragm can be adjusted to vary the diameter of the lens aperture and hence the amount of admitted light. The shutter acts to control the length of time the film is exposed to light.
Low-cost, disposable cameras are now available which contain a film cartridge whose successive frames are advanced relative to a fixed focus lens after each picture is taken. When all frames have been exposed, the cartridge is then removed from the body of the camera which is discarded. Such disposable cameras are particularly popular with young children; for to operate the camera no training or skill is required, and all the child need do is to compose a picture through the viewfinder and then snap it.
In the contemporary world, characters such as Mickey Mouse hold great fascination for children. The term "character" ordinarily refers to a person in the cast of a drama or novel. But as the term is now popularly employed in the field of toys and playthings, it applies to a humanoid or animal-like figure that originated in a comic strip, a motion picture or a TV program and has since acquired the status of a recognized personality. Thus Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse are internationally known characters, as are the figures who populate the Sesame Street TV series for children.
Perhaps the most acclaimed tourist attraction in the United States is Disney World in Orlando, Florida. One reason why cameras are omni-present at this resort is that actors disguised and dressed up as Disney characters roam the grounds and play with the children. These characters also pose with the children so that pictures can be taken of, say, a man-sized Mickey Mouse embracing a 6-year-old child. Such pictures are treasured by children, for they establish a special relationship between the child and the character.
The line of demarcation between reality and imagination is not sharply drawn in a typical child. Some children look upon characters who people their imagination not as cardboard or synthetic figures but as living creatures. Hence a child may shower as much affection on a Minnie Mouse soft doll as on a dog or cat. But what children cannot presently do, unless at Disney World, is to take pictures in which they appear together with their favorite character.
In my above-identified copending application, there is disclosed a photographic technique for producing a picture in which an individual whose picture is taken is seen jointly with a figurative character in such a way as to establish an apparent relationship therebetween. To carry out this technique, a camera is loaded with a light-sensitive film whose successive frames are partially pre-exposed so that each frame contains a latent image of a character.
When the camera is set to place a particular film frame behind the lens, the individual is then posed before the camera to occupy a predetermined position relative to the latent frame image. Upon actuation of the camera, a latent image of the individual is formed on the frame in juxtaposition to that of the character and the exposure of the frame is completed. The film is then developed and printed to provide the desired picture.
The camera disclosed in my copending application is provided with a viewfinder having a channel therein to receive a guide strip carrying a series of slide transparencies corresponding to the series of pre-exposed frames on the camera film. Each slide has a printed image thereon which when the image is within the viewfinder corresponds to a latent image on the film frame to which the camera is then set. When, therefore, the operator who is about to take a picture by completing the exposure of the partially-expose film frame looks through the viewfinder he can then compose the picture by posing the individual in the scene to be photographed so that the individual has the desired interactive relationship with the character.
The practical difficulty with my earlier viewfinder arrangement is that the operator must not only be supplied with a cartridge or reel containing the partially exposed film having latent images thereon, but he must also be supplied with the guide strip. And he must be sure that the selected guide strip slide in the viewfinder corresponds to the film frame then in operative position within the camera.
While this camera may be of the low-cost, disposable type, the need for a special viewfinder to accommodate the guide strip adds to the cost of the camera, and whether the pictures taken are the pictures intended depends on the ability of the operator to coordinate the position of the guide strip in the viewfinder with the film frame then in operative position in the camera. If, therefore, there is a mismatch between the printed image seen through the viewfinder and the latent image in the film frame, the individual photographed may appear superimposed over the character rather than adjacent the character.